Most consider house cleaning to be a rather tedious task because it consumes so much of your time and energy. This rings especially true if you have allowed clutter to consume the space for a long period of time. When this happens, it may seem like an overwhelming chore that causes you to postpone your house cleaning inevitably.
Did you know that the secret to decluttering quickly and efficiently is by doing it one step at a time? Apparently, tackling the chore with baby steps is essential for keeping you motivated to maintain a tidy space. Thankfully, taking baby steps when cleaning a space could translate to a full five minutes of decluttering per day. Before you know it, you are done already decluttering your home!
So, here are some of the most effective five-minute decluttering methods and organization ideas that you should apply on a daily basis:
1. Start by Cleaning a Starting Zone
The very first thing you need to do is to start clearing and cleaning one zone of your house at a time. You have the freedom to choose wherever you want to start in your home. Whether it may be your kitchen countertops or your living room, then so be it.
In your chosen “starting zone”, make sure that the only things placed in the room are objects that you use regularly. Anything that does not follow this rule should be thrown away. You should strive to tidy this zone day-by-day to ensure the cleanliness of this area. Once you become accustomed to cleaning that area daily, you can then expand the borders of your clutter-free zone. This method will help you declutter t every part of your home without sacrificing too much time and energy per day!
2. Declutter your Shelves
More often than not, shelves are the most cluttered space in your home. Whether you want to admit it or not, they are usually the place where you store most of your excess clutter and garbage . While it may have started out with your book collection it may have moved on to displaying your decorative items such as souvenirs, memorabilia, and other unnecessary things.
Now, if you really want great home organization in general, you must start tidying up your shelves. You don’t have to every shelf in your house in one day, start with one shelf per day and work up from there. Once you finish decluttering your shelves, you will notice a huge difference in your home organization. Remember, you may continue to leave your books there, but you definitely don’t need to display every single book that you own. As for your decorative items, try to follow the rule of three, meaning that any non-book item should be limited to three types only. One example of items that fall within the rule of three would be a pencil holder, a small plant, and a cute decorative statue.
3. Clean off a Counter
The counters in your house are usually filled with different kinds of tools, junk, and other things as well. Often, you think that all of these things are rather essential to your daily living. But, the truth is, only a few of these tools and things are really useful to you. Which is why cleaning off your counter space is one of the best organization ideas.
Your countertop may be your blender and juicer’s home in your kitchen but, have you actually used your blender and juicer recently? If you don’t use them on a daily basis, then you might as well just keep them put away inside your cupboards! Also, throw away all the scrap pieces of papers and old pens that most homeowners leave on top of their counters.
Related: 10 Ways to Declutter Your Home Like KonMari
4. Learn to Love the Uncluttered Look
One of the most helpful home organization tip that you can apply when you find decluttering and cleaning too overwhelming is learning to love the uncluttered look of your house. When you are done with your cleaning tasks, try to enjoy the appearance and ambiance of your neatly organized home.
Once you get a hold of this look, you will surely begin hate every piece of clutter that you see in your home. Moreover, you will certainly force yourself to declutter again and again until you no longer see the disorganized and cluttered appearance of your home.
5. Get Rid of Clothes You Don’t Wear
Keep in mind that most homeowners tend to keep every item of clothing and accessories that they purchase. For some, , there is nothing wrong with this, but, if you truly want an organized home then you have to learn to part with old clothes and accessories. If you have clothes that you very rarely wear you might as well throw them away or donate them to a local charity. You may think that they are essentials that you might utilize one day, but the truth is, they are just piling up in your closet, creating a huge mess in your bedroom and closet..
6. Spend a Few Minutes Visualizing the Room
Before you start your decluttering methods and ways, it is recommended for you to spend a few minutes of your time and visualize the organization of your room. Imagine the uncluttered look of your space and area. Think of the things that do not necessarily belong in these areas and think about what organization ideas you plan on utilizing in these spaces
From there, you can easily pinpoint which of your belongings are becoming a real clutter in your home and would benefit from being tossed or donated. Also, visualizing your room as a very organized and decluttered space will help inspire you to start cleaning and decluttering your space.
Related: 8 Quick Tips for Organizing Your Bedroom
7. Teach your Kids Where Things Belong
Although this only applies to parents, teaching kids where things really belong will help you maintain a clutter-free space and home. But, it is important for you to note that kids do not pick up this kind of habit overnight. Teaching your children the appropriate places for each item will take time but it will go a long way, especially when they get to grow up having this kind of habit.
As for homeowners who do not have kids, this organization idea can still apply to you. Be the responsible owner who keeps their things where they really belong.
8. Keep Your Flat Surfaces Clean
Aside from your counters, other flat surfaces in your home should also stay clean. These surfaces may include your table stands, bars, and coffee tables. Usually, homeowners have the habit of leaving garbage and other junk on top of any flat surface because of their convenience. Whether they may be keys or gadgets or accessories, most homeowners do this on a daily basis, unknowingly exacerbating their untidy home
You may start by cleaning these surfaces one by one. Once you are done, try to redecorate these surfaces by using home decors like trays, bowls, and baskets and place your keys or other necessary items within your decorations. Accordingly, you will have a hard time leaving unnecessary things in these areas as each item actually belongs in that space.
9. Schedule a Decluttering Weekend
If you really want to have your home decluttered quickly, then you can also schedule out a day or weekend where you focus on general cleaning and decluttering. Weekends are, usually, the most free times of the week so they may work the best for a day solely focused on cleaning your home. So, before you head out for a weekend getaway, try to declutter your home first, if possible.
Related: Home Organizing Hacks to Get You Through the Year
10. Learn to File Quickly
Another great organization idea is to learn how to file efficiently and effectively. Once you are able to stick to an effective filing system, you should try to utilize this skill on a daily basis, especially if you are a type of person who manages a lot of files and documents every day. For every document and paper that you finish, make sure that you file them efficiently in a filing cabinet, binder, or within a desk to help keep them neat and organized. If you can, try to refrain from piling them up on any open surface available, since it will just end up cluttering your space.
Practice this daily and you will certainly make a habit out of it. In the long run, you will avoid your files and papers from piling up and cluttering up spaces in your home.
Now, learning to declutter is a very essential skill for any homeowner. Although it can seem to be an overwhelming task for some, especially when your home is severely cluttered , you can always resolve this by taking baby steps each and every day to declutter one area at a time. By decluttering one space at a time for just five minutes each day, you will quickly notice your home becoming less cluttered and more organized with each passing day. Which, in turn, will help you focus on the more important aspects of your life such as family and fun, instead of worrying over your untidy home.
